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2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

C. A. MORRIS.

SUBMARINB BXGAVATOR.

N0. 391,331. Patented 0011*.V 16, 1888 N. PETERS, Phammxmgnpner, washingmn. uc.

(No Model.) I I '2 Sheets-Sheet 2. C. A. MORRIS.

SUBMARINB EXGAVATOR. No. 391,331.. Patented Oct. 16,1888.

@Nmap Sinti-s vATENT @erica CHARLES A. MORRIS, OF BLOOMFIELD, NEW JERSEY.

SUBNIARINE EXCAVATOR.

SPBCIFICATON forming part of Letters Patent No. 391,331, dated October 16, 1888.

Application iilod April 19, 1886. Renewed July ll, 1888. Serial No. 279,672. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known t-hat I, CHARLES A. MORRIS` of Bloomfield, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented an [mproveinent in Submarine Excavators,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class ot' submarine excavators in which the bucket or grapple is opened by the weight ofthe parts as they hang suspended by one chain, and in which the bucket or grapple is closed by drawing upon the other chain, the said chain acting by leverage to close the bucket and to keep it closed while the same is being hoisted.

rPhe improvements are available with a bucket having four sections that close toward each other and l'orm a hemispherical bucket, and also to an excavating apparatus in which grapple-teeth take the place of the buck et-sections. I make use of a centraljoint-block to which the four sections are hinged,and a headblock and peculiar toggle-arms reaching from the head-block to the g1'apple-sections,and the joint-block receives a frame that supports the chain wheels and drums that act to close the buckets, the chain tothechain-wheels passing through the head-block, and to this head-block the opening-chain is connected.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of the apparatus. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the apparatus, the head-block, and toggle-arms, and stop-bars being removed. Fig. 3 is a separate plan view of the head-block. Fig. 4 isa section of the same at the line a' Fig. 5 isa section of thejoint-block and wheel-frame with one wheel and drum in elevation. Fig. 61s a separate plan view of the joint-block; and Fig. 7 shows, in smaller size, a plan ofthe wheelange and the stop-bars extending out from the same.

The joint-block A is made with the jaws 2 2. 3 3, 4 4, and 5 5, for the knuckles 6 upon the claw-shaped arms B, that extend outwardly and then downwardly. The lower ends of the arms usually taper toward the vertical central line of the machine, so as to approach each other, and these claw-shaped arms are pro` vided with flanges 7, upon which are riveted or bolted the grapple-sections D E F G. These sections,when closed toward each other, form a bucket of nearly hemispherical shape, and there being four sections each section is nearly a quarter of such hemisphcre,the lines ofseparation corresponding generally to vertical planes intersecting each other at right angles and passing through the vertical centerotthe 1nachine,theedges lappingslightly. Thejointblock is made ol' two main parts, either castor forged and having downwardly projecting flanges 1 0, by which they are bolted or riveted together, and within the upper danges, 1l, the lower parts ofthe frames H are received and secured by bolts or rivets, and these frames rise above the joint-block and receive the chain-wheels L M and their drums L M', respectively. The chain-wheels L M are Vconsiderably larger in diameter than the drums L M,in order that the necessary leverage may be obtained in operating the machine,as hereinafter specified. The hoisting-chains 15 16 pass around thc respective Wheels L M,and the lower ends are attached to the same and the upper endsjoin together at the main hoistingchain 17. The wheels L M lap past each other, as seen in Fig. 1, so that they occupy but little space, and the chain-drum L of the wheel L is near the edge ofthe wheel M, and the chai ndrum M is near the edge ofthe chain-wheel L, and from these drums L M the chains 20 and 21 pass up to the head-block P. This headblock P is rectangular, with an opening through the middle for the chains 15 and 16 to pass through, and there are rollers 22 and 23 upon the said head-block, to prevent wear against the chains as the parts move in opposite directions.

From the head-block P there are togglebars-Q, that cXtend to the respective clawshaped arms B, the toggle-bars being hinged at their upper ends to the head-block and at their lower-ends to the claw-shaped arms, and these joints are made in a peculiar manner, as hereinafter described,so as to allow the parts to move freely as the head-block is drawn up by the chain 30 to open the grapple, and as the head-block is drawn down by the chains 2() k21 and drums L M to close said gre pie.

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The toggle-bars Q are made the requisite size and strengtl1,and preferably ribbed longitudinall y and thickest in the middle to obtain the necessary strength, and at each end of each bar the bearing-pieces 35 project laterally and taper outwardly, the outline of the taper being an arc of a circle. The upper ends IOO of these toggle-bars Q rest in correspondinglyshaped recesses inthe under surface of the head-block P, and around and beneath the lateral projecting bearing-pieces the hingeloops 36 passthe parallel portions'of such loops going up through the headblock P and being` secured by nuts. The lower ends of the toggle-bars Q rest in correspondingly-shaped recesses near the outer angles of the grapplebars B, and there are hingeplates 37 bolted at opposite sides of each of the grapple-arms B and provided with holes that receive the tapering and laterally projecting bearingpieces of the togglebars Q.

The object in constructing thejoints of the toggle-bars in the manner before described is to allow a limited lateral or rolling motion to the toggle-bars, as Well as the turning motion of the joints themselves. This prevents the toggle-bars becoming bound or conned in the joints at the ends through any'unequal or lateral movement that accompanies the grasping action of the excavator, as the same may-be closed upon a rock, stone, or other hard substance to raise the same.

By my improvement it Will be apparent that guides for the head-block are dispensed with, and the parts are made very strong and as light as consistent with the duty to be per formed, and in case of accident to either bucketseotion it can easily be replaced or repaired, and the joint-block and head-block, and also the toggle-arms, can be repaired or replaced if necessary.

When this submarine excavatoris used upon hard material-such, for instance, as phosphate rock-the edges of the buckets or the grapple-points are caused'to penetrate by the blow struck as the apparatus is allowed to descend rapidly. In this case there isa considerable strain and concussion on the chains passing from the drums to the head-block. I relieve the parts'from this concussion by making use of the stop-bars S, that are fastened upon the frame H and project in such a inanner that the arms B, Aor projections on such arms, come directly against the ends or projectin g legs ofthe stop-bars. Thereby the'concussion, as the parts of the grapplestrike any rigid substance in lowering the open bucket, is taken upon the rigid stop-bars,and the other parts of the apparatus are relieved from strain or injury. These stop-bars should bear against the ends of the pivot-pins on which the Wheels L revolve, so that there may be no tendency for the frames H to be sprung toward each other.

In consequence of the toggle-armsQ having projecting bearing pieces, forming T-shaped ends, the entire grapple is rendered much more f reliable, because the unequal strains to which the various parts are subjected in grappling irregular pieces of rock and other articles do not causethe ends of the toggle-arms to bind upon their pivots and injure the joints, as is the case where pivot-pins are made use of,and the parts are kept much more reliably in their relative positions than they are when balljoints are employed.

I claim as my inventionl. Thej oint-block A and the grapple formed of spherical sections hinged tosuch j oint-block, in combination with the frame, the two parallel chain-wheels lapping past each other, and

the two chain-drums, the toggle-arms, headblock, and the hoisting-chain and the chains connecting the drums to the head block, substantially as set forth. v

2. The combination, in a submarine exca vating apparatus, of a bucket composed of two or more hinged sections, a joint-block to which the bucket-sections are hinged, toggle-arms having T-sllaped projections at 'the ends, and ahead-block for opening and closingthebucketsections, and connections for the ends of the toggle-arms, chains passing through an opening in the head-block, parallel and adjacent Wheels to which such chains are connected, and drums and chains extending from the drums to the head-bloclgand a frame above the joint block, .supporting the axes of the wheels, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, in the submarine excavator having arms and ajointblock to which the arms are hinged,ofa head-block and togglen arms extending froml the excavator-arms to the head-block, and having laterally-project- G. A. MORRIS.

Witnesses:

GEO. T. PINGKNEY, WILLIAM G. MoTT.

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